Posted:3rd Mar 2007Owowow, I'm so in pain. It started a couple of years ago (yes, I really don't like dentists). Pain in one of my upper left teeth everytime I ate something sweet.Finally last June I went to the dentist but she said everything was fine .

In December, I went to see a dentist in Belgium, he said I had a hole in my tooth and he filled it.

Alas, two days later, the pain was back. So, I went again to the dentist in UK who said the filling was fine but my tooth was sensitive. She put a kind of gel on it. That was two weeks ago and now...

Soooo much pain, especially when I brush my teeth.

What do I do now? Dentist again? Straight to a specialist (how much is that gonna cost?)

Or do you have any good old grandmother's tips? (but something that lasts, not clove oil or other painkillers please)

Ask a question and be a fool for a minute...don't ask and be a fool your whole life.

Posted:3rd Mar 2007try oil of cloves, it tastes disgusting (really and truly) but it is kind of an anesthetic and it also combats any infection, you need to apply it quite regularly for a while (few times a day for a good few days) but ive found it helps.

Also for the pain, get babies teething gel (available from pharmacists and larger supermarkets the world over) which are available in nice flavours and apply liberally to the affected area - numbs it nicely! bongela also works but i hate the taste!

You really ought to go to a dentist and explain about the problems and the conflicting advice - dentists often have other agendas besides patient care so exercise some caution but usually they are working in your best interest, A tooth can be sensitive and still have a problem that needs treatment. try a specail toothpaste for sensitve teeth, and perhaps one that helps strengthen and replenish your enamel to counteract any developing holes.

And try to get to like dentists - there are some that are especially good with patients with dentist phobias or dislikes, but all of them should be understanding. try a childrens dentist - they are used to it. Try to learn some relaxation techniques to focus your mind on something else, something pleasant instead. failing that you can be sedated (possibly even totally knocked out) if you need treatment and really cant stand dentists. One of my dentists had a poster on the ceiling of smiley faces done in different colours representing the flags of the world, that was a great distraction so maybe see if you can find one with ceiling posters - or ask for one!

As for prices i dont know - im on the nhs (predominantly useless but very cost effective) - but i recommend dentist prior to specialist as it doesnt sound like a particualrly extraordinary problem so it is not worth the added expense of a specialist if itsd not totally necessary.

Posted:3rd Mar 2007Temporary for when it gets really annoying...a plain black tea bag...cooled to lukewarm...and just bite down on it gently to relieve the ache!!!

Also, try toothpaste for sensitive teeth...mine are that way, too!!!

I'm gonna have to have all of mine removed because of damage done due to severe depression years ago...I had cancer and was in a deep state of depression for more than a year while recovering from surgery to remove it!!!

Anything can be dealt with...just don't ignore the problem to the point where it becomes so severe that you have the issues that I do!!!

Good luck!!!

"Absence is to love what wind is to fire...it extinguishes the small, enkindles the great."--Comte Debussy-Rebutin

Posted:15th May 2007This still a problem? Just I had toothache that was actually brought about by bacteria. Three days on antibiotics and rinsing with Corsodyl twice a day (though not straight after bruching as it will stain your teeth purple) and the problem totally vanished. If left untreated it doesn't go away but gets worse when your stressed/tired. My dentist said it can be hard to spot too.

Posted:20th May 2007Can I share my experience with you....?? I had a similar thing. Started with a filling that the dentist didn't do propwerly so I had to go back and have it redone. The 2nd time round filling was ok for a month or two untill it started hurting again, so went back only to find out that it STILL hadn't been filled properly, and would now require a root canal. So I got the root canal done and it was all good for a while, until one day it started hurting again. Went back (yes to the same dentist.....I know silly me) and found out that he didn't remove all the badness in the 1st root canal so had to have a 2nd one done. This was going fine until I got an infection in my gum due to the 2nd root canal, which I was then informed that I would have to have my tooth removed. The thought of having a tooth removed (and the cost) wasn't so appealing, so I did nothing about it (as there wasn't any pain.......unlike your situation) and the infection grew and grew until finally it exploded a bloody pus filled mixture into my mouth, at which time I decided to have it removed. Anyhow a few hundred dollars later I now have a pain free gap in the rear of my mouth.

I guess what I'm getting at is get it tended too sooner rather than later, and if your dentist doesn't get it right the first time, go see another one or a specialist, because having teeth removed isn't fun.

Posted:1st Jun 2007If you are open to herbal treatments, a tea of six parts horsetail, three parts oat straw, four parts comfrey leaf, and one part lobelia taken several times a day over a period of several months is reported to actually repair the damaged teeth - and will benefit the rest of your body at the same time. This is a formula very high in calcium, and herbs that some believe can spark the rapid growth of new cells. It can also be taken in capsule form, but where to get it in capsules in the UK I couldn't say.

I can report on my own use of this formula. I was developing increasing tooth pain in several teeth over a period of several years. Within two weeks of starting the herbs the pain went away completely, as long as I was using the herbs. It still comes back when I don't take the herbs, after about six months, but less and less all the time. I saw a dentist the other week for the first time in about four years. I was told I had one very small cavity, and I'm choosing not to get it filled, but to continue on with the herbs instead.